Dear editor,
Last week’s attempt by Reform to scrap King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council’s Climate Emergency Declaration was postponed because the council chamber was simply too hot to meet safely during the heatwave. When the motion finally came before councillors this week, I was relieved it was defeated.
We all want practical action, value for money, and to protect residents from unnecessary costs. But I don’t believe we have to choose between those priorities and tackling climate change.
Here in King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, climate change isn’t an abstract issue. We have productive farmland below sea level, communities vulnerable to flooding and coastal erosion, and businesses and residents already experiencing the effects of more unpredictable weather.
These are challenges we’re dealing with now, not in some distant future. The motion suggested that because our contribution to global emissions is small, our actions make little difference. If every council took that view, nothing would ever change. I don’t accept that. Local government has never worked on the basis that individual contributions don’t matter.
We protect our environment, invest in our communities and maintain our infrastructure because that’s what responsible local government does. Nor is climate action simply a cost. Improving energy efficiency reduces bills, investing wisely saves taxpayers’ money over time, and building resilience today helps avoid greater costs tomorrow.
I welcomed the focus on flood resilience, water management and protecting our natural environment. Those are important priorities. But they should strengthen our Climate Emergency work, not replace it.
Had we repealed the declaration, what message would that have sent? That we recognise the consequences of climate change, but no longer accept our responsibility to play our part?
Cllr Rob Colwell
King’s Lynn, Norfolk
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